


One of the Big Ones

by Maesonry



Category: SCP Foundation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Developing Friendships, Extended Metaphors, Gen, Horror, Mystery Monster Character, Original Character(s), POV Second Person, Psychological Horror, Reader-Insert, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-07 11:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16407497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maesonry/pseuds/Maesonry
Summary: You see the ad at the Diner the next day. It’s advertising a new farm that recently opened up, mainly dealing in chickens, and relying heavily on volunteer effort. You wouldn’t get paid, but you’d get eggs out of it. It seems fun, so you decide to call later, ripping off one of the little tabs. There are five other tabs already missing, and you take the last one....You want to leave. You want to leave, but you can’t. You saw your friend staring at the door for two hours yesterday, but she didn’t leave. You can’t leave either. You want to leave, but leaving means abandoning your friends, and so you can't.The monster is still waiting.





	1. A No-Name

You see the ad at the Diner the next day. It’s advertising a new farm that recently opened up, mainly dealing in chickens, and relying heavily on volunteer effort. You wouldn’t get paid, but you’d get eggs out of it. It seems fun, so you decide to call later, ripping off one of the little tabs. There are five other tabs already missing, and you take the last one.

Your boss is named Ace. He seems friendly, and nice, but keeps glancing to the exit as he shows you around.

“This is the house you’ll be staying in,” Ace says. The house looks like it’s seen better days, but it’s stable, if not pretty. It has a list to one side though, and the rooms are dark and somewhat frightening, as if something is watching. You don’t mention it, because you’re still nervous, so you nod. Ace brings you to the backyard, “And here’s the rest of the farm.”

The rest of the farm is somehow even worse than the house. There’s no order to anything. The chicken coop is unfinished. The chickens are randomly assorted, some young, some old and injured. You aren’t sure where the chickens came from, but you don’t mention it. 

“Who else will be working with me?” You ask. Ace brings you to the other side of the farm. From here, you can see five other people, and as you approach them, the view clears. You count them out.

Number one is tall. He appears to have tattered clothing on, a coat that trails behind himself, an impassive glare matched with stubble, a hat that’s seen better days. He is rough looking, like he’s been places before, but somehow ended up here. He tilts his head, “My name’s Joel.”

Number two is shorter. He’s also wearing a coat, but it’s tied at the waist, lapels smoothed down, tan fabric ripped in places near the bottom. He also has a hat, but his face is warm, welcoming, “Hi, my name’s Nicolas, but call me Nick.”

Number three is the shortest. She’s thin and gangly, black hair cut at the chin but so dense that you can’t see her eyes. Her clothing blends in with her skin, nearly white, and you hear her voice greet you, “Lawson.”

Number four. He seems normal, and unassuming. His clothes are dark purple, his face is kind. He has yellow eyes, you notice, and he waves at you, “Everyone calls me Peter,” he shrugs.

And finally, number five. They are at the end of the lineup, and there’s something... off, about them. You can’t place it, but looking at them makes you anxious. Their clothing is a hodgepodge of colors, their hair is sporadic, and their eyes are red. Their smile is large as they greet you, “Sam! Please. Please, call us Sam.”

You don’t know what us means. You don’t ask.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” You say instead. Everyone nods and smiles, and everyone seems to be excited to work here. Joel and Nick pair off to go and look at some things, while Lawson and Peter walk to the chickens. Sam stands unmoving, still smiling at you. You walk back to Ace.

And Ace isn’t there.

There’s a note on the kitchen counter. It’s from Ace. He says he’s sorry, but he has things to do. He’ll be back soon, don’t worry, he’ll help set things up.

You set the note down and leave the house. The hairs on your neck stand on end, and you convince yourself this will be fine. 

Everything will be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really weird dream last night that someone told me, "you'll have to live with the things you've done," and then I woke up.
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys like this weird little experimental story


	2. Cracked Edges

Ace doesn’t come back. It’s been a week, and Ace hasn’t come back. You try not to think about it too much. After all, this is just volunteer work. You tend the chickens and nothing else. You sleep in the house with the others, and everything is fine.

You have fifteen chickens. Some of them lay beautiful eggs, but they’re rude and terrible. You want to send them away, but you can’t. And some of the chickens don’t lay any eggs at all, but they’re too nice to let go. If this was a real farm, you know things would be different. But it’s just for fun, you remind yourself.

You acclimate yourself to the Farm. It doesn’t have a name. You walk down the fence-line, and count the things you see. Ten trees. Seventeen bushes. One chicken coop. 

And Sam. 

You stumble back. Sam is there, at the edge of the farm. Watching you. They don’t move. You know you should say something, but the air is suddenly brittle, and you can’t speak. You know you can’t speak. Sam doesn’t move as you walk away. When you look back, they’re gone.

You’re imagining things.

But later that night, as you sit in bed, it gnaws on you. The house is big enough that everyone has their own room, so you toss and turn, before sitting up. Quietly, you creep down the hall, and push open the door to Lawson's room. She’s staring out the window, relaxed, but as unmoving as granite. You clear your throat.

“Lawson,” You call. She unstiffens, and turns to look to you. 

“Oh. It’s just you,” as if implying she was expecting someone else. Standing guard for something else. You swallow nervously.   
“I… wanted to ask you something.”

Lawson untucks her legs, and waits. You feel the hairs on your neck stand back on edge, but it isn’t because of her. You nudge closed the door to the room, and that feeling goes away.

“It’s about Sam,” You say. Your stomach churns, “I thought I saw them on the edge of the farm today. Watching me.”

Lawson's head snaps up so sharply that her curtain of hair parts for a moment. Her eyes are terrified underneath. 

“Sam?”

Lawson is afraid. She jumps down from the nook she sat in, and crosses the length of the room. You reach your hand out in confusion as she goes for the door.

“Wait, where ar-“

She opens the door. The air feels brittle again, and you shut up. She peers around the hall. Then, noiselessly, she closes the door again. Her stance is wiry as she steps around you.

“What did you see?” She asks. Her voice is unfamiliar to you.

“Sam was just, standing there, watching me. They had this… smile, on their face? I… it just made me uncomfortable,” You confess. You feel uncomfortable even now, revealing this. Maybe you’re overreacting. That has to be it. But Lawson, illuminated by the shroud of the moonlight that spills through the window, does not seem shocked or amused.

“Sam makes me uncomfortable as well,” She says. Your face lights up, and you want to say more, but something stops you. Your eyes shift to the left, to the other side of the window. 

Sam’s face is there. Watching. 

A shadow passes in front of the moon, and then they’re gone. But you taste ash in your mouth.

“I have to get going,” You stumble backwards, and then, cowardly, out the door, back to your room. It’s just your imagination. There’s nothing there.

There’s no one around.


	3. Just a Role-Play

After that day on the farm, you’re wary of Sam. You know something is wrong, but nothing happens. Sam just smiles and tends to the chickens. Sometimes the chickens try to run. They know something is wrong too. 

They say animals can sense evil.

You want to ask the others what they think. You want to ask them if they’re also uncomfortable, but you don’t. You only notice the way that Lawson stands farther away from Sam when they’re both in the same room. You do the same.

It’s afternoon when something happens again. It is not Sam in the window, watching you. It is not Sam’s unnerving grin. But it is Sam. It’s always Sam.

It’s in the living room. Everyone is sitting down together, with polite chatter, general talk. Nick swings his legs, and Joel sits on a sofa armrest, while Peter sits on the floor next to you, and Lawson leans on the wall. Sam is sitting in the only rocking chair, back and forth. It’s Lawson that does it.

“The chickens have been acting funny recently,” She shrugs. Turns her head to look out the window, “We should make a little pen. Something for them to get it out of their systems.”

“Make something?” Sam stops rocking. The room goes quiet. 

“Yes. If that’s okay…”

“Make something. Oh, no, yes, that’s perfect, oh, oh but wait!” Sam stands up from the chair, smiling again, always with the smile, “You shouldn’t have given me this power.”

Joel shares a look with Nick, his voice careful, “What do you mean? Sam?”

Sam doesn’t notice. Or maybe Sam doesn’t care. Sam just smiles some more, and walks, walks right outside, to the chicken coop. You unfold yourself from the floor.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?” You ask, looking around at your friends. Lawson is already moving to the door, but Joel is oddly silent. Nick? Nick’s face is perfectly neutral. 

“Oh,” is all he says. Lawson is already at the door, throwing it open. You hear the sound of a choked noise, and by then everyone is already there, trying to see what she sees. 

And it’s Sam. Of course it’s Sam. Sam, standing there, with… 

What is that?

It’s a shed. Why is it a shed? It was supposed to be for the chickens, but it’s not. It stands there unmoving, as sheds do and should, but there’s something wrong about it. It’s built… perfectly. It’s perfect. Too perfect. Immaculate. 

“This is for us,” Sam explains. You are not the us they refer to, “This is for them,” and them is not for the chickens.

You look at your friends. They all look fine. Like nothing is wrong. Except for Lawson, who looks… afraid. Just like before.

And then Lawson looks fine again. 

So you look at the shed and nod too.


	4. To Be Missing

You want to leave. You want to leave, but you can’t. You saw Lawson staring at the door for two hours yesterday, but she didn’t leave. You can’t leave either. You want to leave, but leaving means abandoning your friends, and abandoning the tiny part of yourself that wants to see the Farm grow.

So you stay. You ignore the shed, the shed that no one uses. You pretend you don’t notice that Lawson withdraws, that Joel and Nick don’t say much, that every letter from Ace is the same. 

You’re standing in the kitchen when it happens again. It’s almost dusk. You’re cleaning the dishes, and then you hear whispers. It’s Lawson and Peter. Lawson is standing near the front door, and she is perfectly neutral.

“I’m sorry for my behavior. It won’t happen again.”

She relays the words like a sonograph. Peter doesn’t realize, or doesn’t know what to do. Lawson's hand is on the door handle. She’s going to leave. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter apologizes, and stops. Lawson moves to turn the handle, and that can’t happen. You can’t be alone here with Sam. You speak.

“Sam makes me uncomfortable.”

Peter and Lawson turn around. Peter tilts his head, his yellow eyes confused for a moment, before they widen with recognition. He places his hands together.

“You too?”

Lawson loses her nerve. Her facade crumbles, and she looks so tired. You wonder when this stopped being fun. You wondered when the Farm became a trap. 

“They make Lawson uncomfortable too,” You state. Lawson flails for a moment, before Peter stops her, and he speaks with such relief. 

“I thought I was the only one,” and then he looks out the door, outside to what could be escape, and whispers to you both, “I was thinking of leaving. I… I don’t know.”

You all stand there. You wonder if the others feel the same. You wonder if Nick ever feels scared, you wonder if Joel is ever uncertain. 

You wonder if Ace knew what was happening, and that’s why he never comes back.

“We have to say something,” You urge. It seems like a good plan. A solid idea. But then Peter looks frightened, and Lawson the same, and you’ve brought evil into this house, because Sam comes into the room again.

“Peter!” Sam calls. You step away. Lawson holds the wall. Peter doesn’t move, but that stops nothing, “There you are. I was looking for you.”

“Oh?” Gloved hands wring together, “Why?”

And Sam smiles.

“I want to talk to you. Alone. Just talking.”  
Peter doesn’t want to follow. But he can’t leave. Sam’s smile widens, and Peter follows them out of the room.

You aren’t strong enough alone.


	5. Out of Bounds

Things go from bad to worse when the letter from Ace arrives. He’s out of town, he’s somewhere else, he met a new person with chickens for the farm. Everything is fine, he’ll be back soon. 

You didn’t want anymore chickens. They arrive the next day anyway. You aren’t even certain they’re chickens. They don’t lay eggs, they’re loud, and they hurt the other chickens. The others are hopeful. You don’t need more chickens, but more chickens is good. It should be fine. You leave the chickens with the others and go to the other part of the Farm.

Something about the farm is off. It’s the layout. It’s not organized, and it looks… wrong. But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. You decide to try and fix up some things, do something with your hands. Keep your mind off the feeling of eyes on your back. It must be the chickens.

You go to the edge of the farm. You pick up a hammer, some nails. You’ll fix the broken barn first, you decide. It feels good to be productive. You don’t know how to fix things, but you try your best. One nail at a time, it will get better.

You step back and examine the part. It looks much better than before, and you feel calmer that it is organized. It will make everything easier in the future. Easier to get the chicken feed, easier to find tools. You decide to tell the others. You know they’ll be happy.

“What are you doing?” The barn door creaks. You spin around, but it’s just Sam. That doesn’t make you feel any better though.

“I fixed up the barn,” You manage. Sam tilts their head. Why does their neck bend like that?

“You fixed up the barn?” They parrot. Your nerve is leaving you by the second, and now all you can do is nod. 

You don’t expect Sam to laugh.

“That’s nice!” They bark, “That’s nice!”

You want to leave. Your hand is on the back door. The old wood creaks and groans and you want to leave, and the door won’t open. It’s locked from the outside. Sam gets closer. How are they doing that with their mouth?

“You should ask everyone before you make any changes,” Sam whispers.

You’re going to die here. 

But you don’t. The door behind you swings open, and you fall out, onto the ground. You look up. Nick is standing behind you, and then he moves to stand in front of you, blocking the doorway. His stance is stiff. He hurries to help you up, “There’s something wrong with the new chickens.”

You want to say that there’s something wrong with Sam. But Nick hauls you up, and then ushers you away. You think he knows. You don’t look back behind yourself as you run.

There is something wrong with the chickens. They aren’t just mean, you think they’re sick. They wander around the farm and make strange noises. They smash the eggs of the other chickens. No one knows what to do. Ace isn’t here. You should wait for Ace to come back. You should-

“We could do it ourselves,” Nick suggests. Everyone looks at him. For someone normally so kind, this seems cruel. They’re only chickens. Lawson and Peter look indifferent. But Joel speaks.

“I’ll do it.”

There is a general murmur of agreement. Joel continues.

“If Ace won’t come back, I should do it,” and everyone nods, because no one wants to be the one to do it themselves. Joel grabs one of the sick chickens, and tucks it under his arm. He walks off to the other side of the Farm, where the fences are the only thing still standing. Then, he throws the chicken over the fence.

It lands. It doesn’t seem to care. It walks away into the woods, and the cycle repeats. Until all of the ill chickens are gone. You don’t know what will happen to them now. You want to care, but you don’t. It’s getting dark outside. Everyone nods again, and goes back to the house, goes to rooms in pairs. It feels safer that way no. Sam is nowhere to be seen, and you pretend not to notice.


	6. Looking Back

You’re alone in the house. Everyone is outside for the day, and you’re trying to fix some things. You don’t want to be in the barn anymore. You noticed that the things you changed had disappeared. You decide that cleaning the house up couldn’t hurt. It’s daytime. You feel safer when you can see the others.

The door creaks open. The door never creaks, so this is surprising, and then distressing. Sam walks in. Shouldn’t they be doing something? They always say that they’re the organizer of the Farm. But nothing is organized. No one mentions it, because maybe they’re too scared. You turn back to what you’re doing, and hope they leave.

It’s still daytime. You’re still fine. 

Sam leans on the wall beside you. 

“Hey. Hey, you.”

You look up at Sam. They smile, “Hey. I just wanted to talk.”

But you don’t want to talk. You try to see your friends out the window, but you can’t find them. There’s clouds in front of the sun. There’s noises from inside the shed. You’re scared.

“Hey,” Sam says, more forcefully this time. They stand in front of the window, and now you can’t see. 

“Yes?”

Sam leans in close, voice a whisper, “I heard what you said.”

And you jump back, as if burned. What had you said? It couldn’t have been the things you said to Lawson, to Peter. Sam couldn’t have heard. You’re fine. 

“I heard what you said,” Sam’s body is doing something strange. Their neck is bending. Their face is twisting. They have their hands outstretched, “That's not very nice of you.”

You want to leave. You want to escape. There’s a hallway to your left, and you’re already moving towards it, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Wrong. You shouldn’t have spoken. The air was brittle, and now it’s in pieces. Sam won’t stop smiling. 

“I just want to talk,” Sam reminds, but that isn’t Sam anymore. Maybe it never was. You begin to slide down the wall of the hall, to get to somewhere else. It’s like the barn, all over again. Sam wants you dead. No one will know what happened to you. 

“I don’t understand,” You attempt. Maybe you can placate them, “If I said something wrong, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam perfectly mimics your voice, then cuts it off, “You will be sorry.” 

Where can you go? You turn around and run. The house is large, but there’s nowhere to hide. Sam chases behind you. The sun is out, but it’s so dark. You think you’re screaming. Sam is screaming. Someone has to hear you, but you don’t think anyone will. You’ll end up in a grave in the shed. No one will look, no one will notice. Ace never came back because he was afraid of what he had seen. You run into the library- and since when did the house have a library?- and slam the door behind yourself. The wood already splinters where Sam throws themself against it. You grab your head and want to cry, because Sam is so loud, and you’re going to die here, and no one will notice.

The slamming on the door stops. You know it won’t last for long. You think of writing a letter to leave before you go, so that someone will know what happened.

But there isn’t any time.

The door slams open. You scream.

And Nick is there.

Nick shouldn’t be here. You stop yourself, and stare at him, trying to understand why he was here, where he came from. How did he find you? And where was Sam?

“Come on. We have to go, now,” but Nick only helps you up, like before, and is hurdling down the hall. Something slams behind you. You don’t look back, and Nick and you run through the door to the outside. The sun is back out. You can see the others, and they rush up to you. Nick turns to you.

“I saw what happened in the barn,” He whispers quietly. So he feels the same. He knows that something is wrong, “Sam scares me.”

Funny that discomfort became fear. But then everyone crowds around you, making sure you’re okay, asking what happened, where you had been, and you look back to the house.

Sam stands in the doorway, looking back.

They won’t stop smiling.


	7. Like a Secret Clubhouse

A storm begins to brew. It is nighttime again. Ace doesn’t come back, but by now, you don’t notice. It’s just you, and your friends. This is no longer fun. But now, you can’t run. You know you can’t run. 

Lawson finds you first. 

“Come to the barn,” She whispers, “I’ll get the others.”

And you know that Peter feels the same, that Nick does. Will Joel? Or will you all die alone? You nod and go to the barn. Sam is sleeping, and doesn’t notice. Or maybe they pretend to sleep. The chickens don’t know anything is wrong, and you walk past.

The barn holds mixed memories. You enter anyway. There is one single light in the center, and you walk towards it. In the darkness, you can make out shapes. You can hear whispering.

“...uncomfortable.”

“We have to do something.”

“What can we do?”

“They don’t listen, they won’t leave. I just…”

It’s Nick and Peter. Peter’s clothing blends in with the shadows. Or maybe he is shrinking back. You don’t blame him. And Nick is standing, arms crossed. There is stress written on his face. You fold your hands.

“Is Joel coming?” You ask. The pair looks at you, then murmurs.

“I hope so…”

“He has to, right?”

The barn door opens again. The echo of thunder on the horizon spills in, and you see your friends. Lawson, and Joel. Joel’s hat is tucked under his arm. Lawson's hair is parted.

“I found him,” Lawson breathes. Joel walks forward while she shoves the door closed. You can see him looking at you all. He is confused. But, not for long.

“It’s about Sam,” Peter says, coming back in. Lawson moves to stand beside him, “It’s just that…”

“There’s something wrong with them,” You interject, “Nick was there.”

And you try to shut up, but you can’t. The words are spilling out of your mouth. You tell them about the first time, “They were just standing at the edge of the fence,” and the second, “In the window,” the third, “Inside the barn,” and then it keeps going. 

“Sam doesn’t want change. Sam wants to keep us here. Sam wants us dead.”

You want to say that Sam is some demon. Maybe they are. Maybe they’re cursed.

Maybe this farm is cursed.

There’s letters from Ace on the counter, but you swear they look like your handwriting. And you can’t remember a time when he was around. You can’t remember a time when Sam wasn’t.

“We have to do something then,” Joel decides. He believes you. You like to think he always did. 

You’re tired of being afraid all the time. 

“We should ask Ace,” Peter offers, “He can help.”

“And what if he doesn’t?” Lawson counters, “What then?”

There is silence. No one knows what to say. No one knows what to do. But Joel doesn’t waver. 

“I’ll talk to them. To Sam.”

Five faces blanche. Thunder rolls across the hills again.

“I’ll go with you,” Nick says. Lawson nods. Peter tentatively agrees. 

You wonder if this is what you’ve been waiting for. 

“We’ll talk to them tomorrow night. Together. We’ll give them a chance,” Joel says. You think that a chance is one chance too many. But you trust him. And you trust everyone. 

Ace is gone. Ace isn’t coming back. But you send him a letter anyway, and you hope he comes back.


	8. Would You Kindly

The storm does not hit. It crouches on the hills, and it is waiting. It is waiting for a better time, maybe. Your letter to Ace is gone from the mailbox. You hope that means good news. You don’t know if it means anything. 

It is nighttime. It’s always nighttime. You’re all in the living room, like before. You’re by the fireplace. Joel and Nick are by the entrances. Peter and Lawson and standing off to the side. Maybe they are scared. But they do not leave, and that gives you some strength.

Sam is coming. 

Voices murmur.

“What should I say?...”

“Do you think they know?”...

“...not sure…”

And then Sam enters.

They walk stiffly. Their smile is strained. Their eyes slide across the room, never stopping to look at anything. Occasionally, an arm or a leg twitches. Why does it twitch? You know, but you wish you didn’t. You cannot escape the way their face deforms in your memory. You cannot forget what they did. 

Wordlessly, Sam takes a seat. The rocking chair squeaks. Back and forth.

“You wanted to talk to me?” They ask. Your friends share a moment of eye contact. They all nod. Joel is the one to speak first.

“We have some concerns…” Joel’s voice is calm. Deceptively calm. You wonder if he’s even angry, but you see the way his fists bunch the fabric of his coat. Fear, maybe. You say nothing. Joel continues, “About your work?”

And that seems like as good a place as any to start.

“My work? What’s wrong?” Sam smiles big and wide. They shouldn’t. Lawson and Peter shy away. Nick gets closer.

“You said you’d help fix up the farm,” Nick says. His voice is not warm. His eyes are not comforting. Sam doesn’t notice, then.

“Did I? I’ve been- busy,” Their voice dips uncomfortably at the word busy, and they glance towards the shed. Everyone looks at the shed. There’s something wrong on this farm, you want to say. You don’t. But Lawson does.

“You could step down,” Lawson's voice is sharp. It reminds you of a knife. She stands forward slightly, but something makes her step back. It’s Sam. They’re twitching. 

“I’ve been busy.”

Busy with what? Busy with the shed. Busy with something that isn’t meant for you, or for anyone. It’s hard to remember that you are just volunteers, during this. It’s hard to remember anything else.

“You’re too busy,” Nick states, “We can see how… stressed, you are.”

Everyone nods. Sam stops twitching. You think this is a good sign, but it isn’t.

“You want me to work. I understand. Give me some time,” Sam is back to smiling, “Give me until tomorrow night. I will…”

_You will what?_

Sam abruptly stands up. You can hear a gentle rain outside. The storm is coming, and Sam leaves the room, and everyone feels dread settle in their chest like ice.

Tomorrow night. 

Everyone spends the night in the same room, like a sleepover. No one mentions that it’s because they are afraid to be alone.


	9. Foundation Secured

The storm hits.

It tears through the farm, but targets nothing but the house. Siding is torn away. Windows are shattered. Everyone is confined to the living room, and everyone is on edge. You don’t mention that you got a letter from Ace that morning. You don’t mention that it was blank. It doesn’t make any sense.

You’re all sitting together, when you hear the sounds. 

Sounds coming from the shed. Sounds that aren’t natural. Everyone stops.

There are steps coming close to the door. They stomp, and thud. You can’t tell if it footsteps or thunder. Joel and Nick don’t look afraid, but maybe they are hiding it.

The door opens. Sam walks in. It’s always Sam. Sam walks in, completely dry. Like the rain never touched them. There’s something on their clothes. You wish it wasn’t so dark.

Sam doesn’t sit in the chair. Sam stands.

“We made something.”

Sam is smiling. You never want to see another smile again. Sam leans over, and their neck seems to extend, “Would you like to see it?”

Joel is made of steel, Nick is made of iron, you are made of glass. 

“Yes. If that’s alright.”

And of course it’s alright. Why wouldn’t it be. Sam steps back, their limbs are too long, there’s something wrong, but only barely. 

“Close your eyes!” They sing. Everyone looks frightened. Peter covers his eyes. You do as well. It seems that the others don’t want to. But you are afraid of what will happen if they refuse.

Sam stomps angrily, “I said close them!” and their voice is not their own. The stomp is thunder, the rain on the house, a window shatters. You noticed the others comply. But they cheat, because they are brave. You are not. 

Maybe you do not want to see yourself die.

And then there’s the sounds again. The sounds from the shed, but they’re here. They’re snapping bone. They’re gurgles. They’re twisting and popping, and the sound of fear. Maybe you’re shaking. Maybe that’s the house. 

“You can look now.”

You don’t want to. You want to leave. No one is talking, no one is looking, and you are a coward, you should have spoken first, because the thing that is Sam or once was Sam calls, “Peter?”

You hear the sound of a shuffle. A scuffle. You tentatively glance over, and see that Nick has opened his eyes, along with Joel. Maybe they never closed them. Lawson looks as sharp as her voice. Peter still looks torn. 

And Sam?

Sam is as Sam always was. You remember stories in books, but you don’t remember enough. You think that Sam is a monster, but maybe it’s the contorted limbs that give it away, the almost sickly white skin tone, skin stretched over bone. Still, a terrible smile. Bigger than their face is wide. 

“I want to show you all what I made.”

That is a deadly invitation. You know there is not happy ending if you accept. But you know what will happen if you stay quiet. You bunch your fists up, and brush against the blank letter in your pocket. You wonder where Ace is. You keep thinking that maybe he’ll come back. You are alone in a fairytale, in your hoping.

There are no heroes in this tale. No, that is a lie. You see Joel stand up. Maybe there are heroes.

“I’ll go.”

His eyes are decisive. His stance is solid. 

Nick stands up beside him, “No, I’ll go.”

Sam leers. It is a discomforting thing, “Why not Peter?” but Lawson is quicker.

“He… he wants to be surprised.”

Sam turns to you, “But we’ve spent so much quality time together.”

But Joel and Nick step in. You know that this isn’t actually some contest of who deserves to go. Because it is a death sentence. No one will come back from the shed. But whoever goes, the others can escape. 

It is a terrible price. It is a testament to your friends that no one is willing to let the other die.

Sam tilts their head. Gestures one long, spindly hand to the door, “After you, Nick.”

Nick stiffens. Everyone looks at him, and Joel makes to say something, but then Nick steps forward, calm. The air is solemn. It feels like a funeral. The storm is keening outside. You want to step forward, but you can’t.

Nick makes to step outside.

And Joel throws the rocking chair.

You blink. The chair flies through the air, and hits Sam in the back of their head. They stumble. Nick ducks, and Lawson bounces up. Sam is screaming, howling. They swing blindly, and Nick throws a blender at their face. Sam whirls around, but then Lawson is there, she hits their knees and jumps back. You can see Peter chuck a book like a frisbee. 

“Stop it!” Sam roars, “This isn’t fair!”

Joel throws an end table. You can see Lawson going for the knives. Nick is running for the phone, Peter prepares to launch another tome. 

“I said, stop!” Sam howls, and then suddenly, everything goes wrong. Sam grabs the table from the air, launches it back at Joel. It hits, and Joel is thrown against the wall. Then, Sam slams one hand back. tossing Lawson like a ragdoll. Nick is sent sprawling when a chunk of the counter is launched at him. Peter falls under a tide of books. And that just leaves you, on the ground. You desperately clutch at whatever is on hand, and it just so happens to be the letter from Ace. 

It’s still blank. You hold it out anyway. Like a shield. And Sam laughs, and laughs, and doesn’t hear the sound of the front door blowing open, and doesn’t see the shape that appears behind them.

But you do. 

Ace is wreathed in the dying light of nighttime. He is soaked to the bone. He is pale and almost insubstantial. He doesn’t look real. But he clears his throat, gets Sam’s attention.

“Ace?” Sam squeaks.

And Ace says nothing, because his tackle says everything he needs. You can’t see what’s happening, the room is too dark, the movement is too fast. It sounds like danger. It smells like ozone. You’re afraid Ace is losing, but then he stands up, hauls Sam through the door with a shove. 

And before he leaves with them, he looks back.

“I’ll be back soon.”

You want to laugh and you want to cry. The letter is gone from your hands. And then Ace is gone too.

You wait. You see your friends pick themselves up, some go to the door to look out, some sit down. It doesn’t matter. The rain is too thick, no one would be able to see anything if they tried. You wait, because you don’t know what else to do. It seems surreal that this is how it ended, but that seems to be the case.

And when daylight comes, Ace still doesn’t come back.

But the Farm, for once, is safe.


	10. Epilogue

Ace doesn’t come back, but time marches forward. It always does.

And life is peaceful, for the once. 

After that night, you and your friends are left to assess the damage. Without any clear delegation of duty, Joel takes up the role of organizer. He makes a list, of the things to do, to clear away rubble. Lawson and Nick start training the chickens properly. Peter moves on to making nice things for the Farm. 

And you watch it all unfold. You can make trips to the town now. You can bring in new faces, if you wanted. You aren’t living in fear. If you wanted to, you can even leave forever. You don’t, but it is there, and there will be no retribution if you do.

It is a comfort.

As the days go on, so too does the farm grow. The house is fixed. The farmland is organized. One day, all your friends gather around the shed with sledgehammers, and laugh as you take it down. 

The Farm is everything you had wanted it to be, that first day at the Diner. 

And now you sit in the living room. You know that the story of the Farm is not over. There is still more to be said. But for now, it is peaceful. And for now, you allow yourself to enjoy that peace.

Life could be worse. You’re glad to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s to you, old friends


End file.
